20 living bass greats

1 Dave Holland

Fifty-one years since being discovered by Miles Davis, Holland’s global influence cutting across a swathe of post-bop styles remains immense. The beating heart of In a Silent Way. Pick out his work with Kenny Wheeler for later thrills. Still a force to be reckoned with especially on 2018’s UnchartedTerritories and the brand new Good Hope with Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter.

2 Esperanza Spalding Breakthrough bassist/vocalist Spalding has rewritten the rulebook in terms of what a 21st century bassist can do.

3 Marcus MillerFusing jazz, soul, and African music Miller’s sound whether heard as far back as Tutu with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, or more recently on Laid Black is instantly recognisable.

4 John Patitucci With a solo reputation for leading his own bands and making his own records nonetheless it’s for his role in the Wayne Shorter quartet that has defined the technically accomplished US bassist’s career over many years now.

5 Reid AndersonAs a member of one of the leading small groups in contemporary jazz in The Bad Plus bassist Anderson has an eclectic approach influenced by jazz, rock and classical approaches that appeals to a new generation exploring jazz often for the first time.

6 Larry Grenadier Best known for his work with Brad Mehldau and the Fly trio Grenadier thrives on a riff, his impossibly woody sound cornering tricksy rhythms with consummate ease.

7 Arild AndersenPlaying Cork this autumn. Was part of the history making Triptykon.

8 Ron Carter Elegant and refined, the heir in some ways to Ray Brown, Carter was the bassist in the Miles Davis “second great quintet” fact enough to be included in this list. He is still leading bands to this day, and is a regular visitor to Ronnie Scott’s.

9 Stanley ClarkeHugely influential from Return to Forever and George Duke days and in demand as a movie composer.

10 Cecil McBee The Forest Flower bassist. Need I go on? OK, yep McBee is on the title track of Journey in Satchidananda too.

11 Richard Bona The Cameroonian with the jaw-dropping bass guitar technique and unique vocal style, jazz, African music and a sense of improvisational adventure all roll into one.

12 Reuben Rogers The Charles Lloyd and Joshua Redman bassist has some of the best chops in jazz as at ease with free-jazz as straightahead.

13 Gary PeacockAvant gardist by reputation and also the ultimate standards bassist for many years with Keith Jarrett.

14 Linda May Han OhAdventurous chamber-jazz stylist globally known through touring with Pat Metheny, already with a formidable track record of achievement on her own genre-busting records.

15 Dan BerglundHe reached a huge global fanbase with EST and now leads his own group Tonbruket. Look out for Rymden.

16 Thomas MorganBig toned US bassist known for his work with Tomasz Stańko, he’s a revelation with Jakob Bro.

17 Richard Davis As well known as an educator as for his appearance on some classic records Richard Davis’ big sound has decorated albums as influential in very different ways as Astral Weeks and Out to Lunch.

20 Henry GrimesAvant god. Ayler, Cecil Taylor, another time, another place. Lost now found.

Accordionist Gaby McArdle (above, left) is at the heart of the Enniskillen traditional music scene, the paterfamilias, performing with the sage-like Professorial rocker Pat McManus back in Fermanagh after a lot of touring last year (above, centre) in traditional Irish mode on violin and the singer-guitarist Paddy Shannon (above, right) who guested the last time I reviewed in the well laid out East Bridge Street pub.

Enniskillen is a small town alive with an ever growing live music and poetry scene over the last few years, musical highlights of which include more Irish traditional music taking place on Tuesdays at the Crowe’s Nest and in Blakes of the Hollow on Fridays, rock and covers by two bands each night at Granny Annies on Townhall Street through each weekend and usually a choice country singer floating in on Saturdays at Charlie’s in Church Street among the best things on offer plus The Thing Itself monthly poetry happening in Belmore Street’s Cellar Bar. There is no jazz on anywhere at the moment on the central island part of the town itself alas but that may change I hope, the last few included a couple of gigs that marlbank put on in Jazzeys, now a just opened restaurant called 28 Darling Street run by a chef, formerly of the award winning MacNean House located in the Black, county Cavan, and his wife.

Discerning tourists at Magee Mondays join the locals via word of mouth, the set hardly derailed apart from a few eyerolls directed at a waywardly shoeless lad dancer who continued his staggery turn on a different pavement stage later. Dick Farrelly’s ‘The Isle of Innisfree’, with a great vocal by Shannon, was the song that I took home and listened to again online although none I managed to find matched Shannon’s excellently unsentimental treatment and ‘Dirty Old Town’ is always a pleasure, almost compulsory. The reels, jigs and polkas element of the set are when the music journeys deeper and you feel lost in the zen of it all as Pat clicks up into a higher gear and the heart races. Gaby keeps great time and has a haunting lilt when he solos while Shannon’s guitar accompaniment was faultless and his convincing low tenor voice, landing between the Christy Moore and Johnny McEvoy sound maybe, rose as if to greet and bow down to the great mother Erne running high and fast only yards away. Story and pic: Stephen Graham/marlbank